Photo of John Wilson, ca. 1981, then chairman of DC's Finance and Revenue Committee, at the District/Wilson Building, making public the plan to pay off the city's debt.

ID: 4055 ~ Creator: Reprinted with permission of the DC Public Library, Star Collection; © Washington Post

This file appears in: Civil Rights Tour: Political Empowerment - John A. Wilson/District Building

Photo of John Wilson, ca. 1981, then chairman of DC's Finance and Revenue Committee, at the District/Wilson Building, making public the plan to pay off the city's debt.

This file appears in: Civil Rights Tour: Political Empowerment - John A. Wilson/District Building

Civil Rights Tour: Political Empowerment - John A. Wilson/District Building

In 1874, as DC's African American population and political clout grew during Reconstruction (1865-1877), Congress stripped DC residents of the ability to elect their own mayor and city council, denying them the right of self-governance. For the…